BLM approves 300-mile transmission line

The Bureau of Land Management has signed its record of decision for the Boardman to Hemingway transmission line across Eastern Oregon.

By George Plaven

EO Media Group

Published on November 20, 2017 3:51PM

EO Media Group/E.J. Harris

A crew works on a transmission line tower Friday outside of Boardman. The Bureau of Land Management has announced a 300-mile, 500-kilovolt transmission line that will be built from Boardman to just outside of Boise.

The Bureau of Land Management signed off on a controversial 300-mile, 500-kilovolt overhead transmission line that would run from Boardman to near Boise, boosting electrical capacity between the two regions for future growth.

It is a major step forward for the Boardman to Hemingway project, or B2H, which was first proposed by Idaho Power in 2006. More than a decade later, the BLM released its record of decision for the power line on Friday, which would cross five Eastern Oregon counties en route to southwest Idaho.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said in a statement that building B2H is a Trump administration priority, focusing on infrastructure that supports America’s energy independence.

“Today’s decision is the result of extensive public involvement and will support the environmentally responsible development of resources to meet the needs of communities in Idaho, Oregon and the surrounding region,” Zinke said.

Yet despite the announcement, B2H is still years away from becoming a reality. The BLM record of decision only addresses the power line as it crosses over federal lands, so Idaho Power must now shift its efforts to obtaining state permits through the Oregon Department of Energy, and specifically the Energy Facility Siting Council.

Mitch Colburn, who manages transmission and distribution strategic projects for the utility, said the line will not be completed until 2024 at the earliest. Idaho Power has already invested $90 million in B2H, and the total cost is expected to be $1 billion and $1.2 billion when all is said and done.

Do the math, and that is up to $4 million per mile of transmission. Still, Colburn said B2H remains the most cost-effective way of filling the company’s projected demand.

“The need is still strong,” he said.

According to project documents, B2H is intended to share roughly 1,000 megawatts of electricity between the two regions, which traditionally experience peak demand at different times of the year — summertime for the Intermountain West, and wintertime for the Pacific Northwest.

Routing the line, however, has been a source of controversy in Umatilla and Morrow counties, especially among farmers worried about losing high-value cropland. The BLM decision, meanwhile, takes into account things like sensitive vegetation, wildlife and cultural resources as directed under the National Environmental Policy Act.

While Colburn said there is no such thing as a transmission line without impacts, he feels the chosen route takes steps to minimize environmental impacts.

“This is the culmination of much analysis, and many stakeholders coming together,” Colburn said. “It’s a long process, and we’re certainly supportive of getting it right.”

As expected, the transmission line would plug in to Oregon at the Bonneville Power Administration’s proposed Longhorn Substation east of Boardman. From there, it would run approximately 12 miles south along Bombing Range Road in Morrow County before heading east through Umatilla County, south of Pilot Rock and the Umatilla Indian Reservation then southeast through Union, Baker and Malheur counties on its way to Idaho.